Percussion Duo

My PERCUSSION DUO was a joint commission from Steven Schick and James Avery, both then of the University of Iowa. These artists gave the first performance on 20 October 1979 at the University.

The work is in an unproblematic single movement, and for most of its length, it treats the two members of the duet as a single sonority. The percussion (vibraphone and marimba only) compensates by having two timbres at its disposal for the fact that its range cannot match that of the more expansive piano. But through this device, real equality between the two players is achieved.